Back to School Shopping

One question that comes to mind a lot with many parents is what to buy when children head back to school. Here are some tips:

1)Supplies- Unless requested by the teacher avoid bulky binders, they never fit in a desk and as the rings get loose it turns into a big mess. Spirals and clip folders work well along with standard composition books. When dealing with pens and pencils, if there are 10 in a pack send your child in with 4 and keep the rest in reserve. Avoid supplies that may create a distraction. Many schools make their supply lists availble before the school year begins so try to get a hold of the list

2) Clothes- You definitely want to avoid a phone call from the school office because your child is in violation of dress code. Students should be dressed for learning not a fashion show. Items like ripped jeans, pocket chains, things with spikes, sleeveless shirts and backless shoes are usually prohibited. Students also need to wear their pants at their waste, school is not the place to show off their underwear. Shirts should cover the torso and skirts should be longer than mid-thigh. While Crocs are not considered a backless shoe, I don't think it is a smart footwear choice for school based on the risk of tripping and falling if some steps on the shoes back.

3) Cell phones are very useful communication devices but they need to be off and out of site during class so they do not distract learning. If your are giving your child a phone to keep on them make sure they understand the school policies governing their use on campus to avoid confiscation.

Hope these few tips are useful.

Managing Childrens Behavior-Calmness, Consistency and Communication

One of the challenges parents have with children of all ages is managing their child's behavior. The key with dealing with behavior starts with the three C's, calmness, consistency and communication.

When a situation arises that a behavior problem is occurring staying calm is key. You need to keep your wits about you in order to solve the behavior in a way that makes your child understand that you are not mad at them, but you are upset with their specific behavior at that time. When parents lose their cool it communicates a degree of anger and can cause fear in the child. You do not want your relationship with your child based on fear. It is just as easy to put a child in time out calmly as it is to scream and yell when doing a time out. If you are about to lose it walk away and take a deep breath compose yourself them handle the situation. Think about how it would feel to have a 7' 350 pound massive lineman yelling in your face, that is how a small child feels when it is done to them.

Consistency is simple, say what you mean, mean what you say. Keep rules and expectations clear and don't change them every day. Teach what you expect and your kids will follow. If expectations keep changing what are the kids supposed to learn? If you say you will do something do it. Don't make a promise you can't keep. Don't threaten to give a consequence that you can't follow through on.

Communication between parents is key otherwise the kids wise up and start to play one against another. My wife didn't tell me she only wanted my 3 year old to have a certain amount of stuffed animals on the bed, so when my son asked for a few more I thought it was fine. When my wife came in she got upset because she had told my son something else and I got upset because I felt like she was undermining me in front of my child over something that was not a big deal. Had we communicated that situation would have gone a lot smoother.